Psychology 1004 Test 1
All 200 of these applicants are hired and put to work selling computers, After six months, Professor Sam correlates the new workers' aptitude test scores with the dollar value of the computers that each sold during the first six months on the job. This correlation turns out to by -0.21. This finding suggests the test may lack_________
Criterion-related validity
What is the primary reason deception is often used in psychology research?
Deception allows researchers to study topics that are otherwise impossible to study
Post orgasm
Decreased activity in prefrontal cortex
A researcher wants to see whether a protein-enriched diet will enhance the maze-running performance of rats. For the duration of the study, the researcher feeds one group of rats. For the duration of the study, the researcher feeds one group of rats a high-protein diet, while the other group continues to receive its regular diet. In this experiment, what is the term used to describe the maze-running performance of the rats
Dependent variable
Do IQ tests have validity?
Depends on what you think IQ is good for IQ tests have good construct validity (test matches up to other tests in terms of peoples answers) There is criterion validity in regards to high IQ and academic performance Content validity- do IQ test test comprehensively?
Polygraph / Lie Detector
Device that records autonomic fluctuations while a subject is questioned
Criterion Related Validity
Do sources line up with an independent measure of the trait
Content Validity
Does the content represent the overall domain being tested
Construct validity
Does the test measure a particular hypothetical construct
Evolutionary perspective on obesity
During much of our evolutionary history, food was relatively scarce and nutritionally simple so we evolved thrifty genes to survive such times Only recently have humans cone to live in a land of plenty food however we still have thrifty genes plus we have moved to a more sedentary lifestyle
Between subjects design
Each participant is in only one condition
Hunger
Early lesioning studies pinpointed the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus and the lateral hypothalamus, subsequent research suggests that the arcuate nucleus and the paraventricular nucleus may be equally or more important
Affective forecasting
Efforts to predict one's emotional reaction to future events
Vasocongestion
Engorgement of blood vessels
Honest indicators
Ex would be deer antler size and sperm quality being related
Sampling Bias
Exists when a sample is not representative of the population from which it was drawn
Statistical significance
Exists when the probability that the observed findings are due to chance is very low
Correlation
Exists when two variables are related to each other
Incentive theories
Expectancy-value models factor in the odds of achieving the goal Push vs Pull theory
What type of research would you use to answer this question: Can the presences of food-related cues cause an increase in the amount of food people eat?
Experiment. To demonstrate a casual relationship, you would have to conduct an experiment. You would manipulate the presence or absences of food-related cues in controlled circumstances where subjects had an opportunity to eat some food, and monitor the amount eaten
What research bias can be prevented by using a double-blind procedures?
Experimenter bias
Universality of facial expressions
Facial expressions are universal as evidence suggests that emotional facial expressions are primarily innate
Evolutionary theories of motivation
Fear of snakes -> avoid poison
Claude Steele
Feelings of stereotypes vulnerability can undermine group members' performance on tests, as well as other measures of academic achievement
Females ability to predict males' poential
Females can predict a males testosterone and interest in infants based on photos
Evolutionary psychology sex and mating
Females have greater parental investment than males Males look for females that will produce good children (youth & attractiveness)
Criticism of Trivers and colleagues
Females show this evolutionary tendency because they have mostly been held back in prospective careers and females are supposed to hide sexuality
Binet and Simon
Focused on assessing children and identifying mentally subnormal ones Used abstract reasoning skills Used mental age to say if a child was average, advanced or retarded
Achievement tests
Gauge a persons' mastery and knowledge of various subjects
Reaction range
Genetically determined limits on IQ or other traits
Genetics vs environment?
Genetics sets a range of IQ and your environment will place you somewhere in that predetermined range
Excitement
Heart rate, BP etc rise above resting levels tissues (clitoris in females) becomes erect
Sandra Scarr
Heredity may set certain limits on intelligence and that environmental factors determine where individuals fall within these limits
What is the heritability of intelligence?
High estimate is 80% of intelligence is determined by genes Low estimate is 40% is determined by genes Important to remember that heritability is a group statistic that doesn't necessarily apply to individuals or across groups
Which term is defined as "a tentative prediction about the relationship between two variables?"
Hypothesis
Homosexual Male Brain
IN response to the male pheromone androstenedione, male homosexual brain activity resembles that of heterosexual females not heterosexual males
A research study examines the effect of a new teaching technique in students' achievement test scores. Which student characteristic would be considered an important extraneous variable?
IQ scores
The Flynn Effect
IQ test results rise as you go through the past 80 years most likely due to environmental factors. The IQ scores are not changing what is changing is what you need to score on a test to reach 100
Cultural Bias in testing
IQ tests are very westernized therefore are they really testing IQ of all people or just of those who belong to a Western society
Robert Sternberg
IQ tests place too much emphasis on speed. There are three aspects of successful intelligence: analytical intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence
Servere Intellectual Disability
IQ: 25-40 Limited speech, toilet habits, and so forth with systematic training Can help contribute to self-support under total supervision
Moderate Intellectual DIsability
IQ: 40-55 Grade 2/4 by late teens; special education necessary Can be semi-independent in sheltered environment; needs help with even mild stress
Mild Intellectual Disability
IQ: 55-70 Typically grade six level by late teens, special education helpful, some graduate high school. Can be self supporting in nearly normal fashion if environment is stable and supportive, may need help with stress
Profound Intellectual Disability
IQ: Below 25 Little or no speech; not toilet-trained; relatively unresponsive to training Requires total care
An organizational psychologist develops a new training program to improve clerks' courtesy toward customers in a large chain of retail stores. She conducts an experiment to see whether the training program leads to a reduction in the number of customer complaints. What is the independent variable and dependent variable?
IV: Courtesy training (Training vs no training) DV: Number of customer complaints
A researcher is interested in how heart rate and blood pressure are affected by viewing a violent film sequence as opposed to a nonviolent film sequence. What is the Independent variable and dependent variable?
IV: Film violence (present vs absence) DV: Heart rate and blood pressure (There are two DVDs)
A social psychologist investigates the impact of group size on subject's conformity in response to group pressure. What is the independent variable and dependent variable?
IV: Group size (large vs small) DV: Conformity
A researcher wants to find out how stimulus complexity and stimulus contrast (light/dark variation) affect infants' attention to stimuli. He manipulates stimulus complexity and stimulus contrast and measures how long infants stare at various stimuli. What is the independent variable and dependent variable?
IV: Stimulus complexity (high vs low) and stimulus contrast (High vs low) (there are two IV) DV: Length of time spent staring at the stimuli
Do IQ tests have reliability?
If there is a high correlation then yes
Why are humans bad at affective forecasting
Impact bias: Failure to factor in the ways we adjust to and rationalize circumstances and events
Interest in sex as you age
In females as they get older their interest in sex drops off significantly
Competition
In most cases there is competition by males and selection by females Female choice is often based on appearance
Mental age
Indicated that he or she displayed the mental ability typical of a child of that chronological (actual) age
Percentile score
Indicates the percentage of people who score at or below a particular score
Percentile score
Indicates the percentage of people who score at or below the score one has obtained
Kin selection
Individuals that engage in same-sex sexual behaviour provide resources to siblings thereby increasing their inclusive fitness (genes are being carried on) There is little support for this theory
Subjective well-being
Individuals' personal perceptions of their overall happiness and life satisfaction
Arthur Jensen
Intelligence is largely genetic in origin and therefore genetic factors are strongly implicated as the cause of ethnic differences in intelligence
Spearman and g
Invented factor analysis G is general mental ability and is the common core of all individual mental abilities
Alfred Binet
Invented the first practical IQ test. Used mental age and measured reasoning skills
Emotions
Involves a subjective conscious experience (the cognitive component) accompanied by bodily arousal (the physiological component) and characteristic overt expressions (the behavioural component)
Crystallized intelligence
Involves ability to apply acquired knowledge and skills in problem solving
Ostracisim
Involves being ignored and excluded by others in your social environment
Motivation
Involves goal directed behaviour
Fluid intelligence
Involves reasoning ability, memory capacity, and speed of information processing
Creativity
Involves the generation of ideas that are original, novel, and useful
Leptin
Is a hormone produced by white adipose tissue (fat) Decreases appetite
Criterion-related validity
Is estimated by correlating subject's scores on a test with their scores on an independent criterion (another measure) of the trait assessed by the test
Hypothalamus
Is important in sexual behaviour
Correlation
Is most often represented by the correlation coefficient r that ranges from -1 to 1
Sex research
Is often done by use of surveys
Choice
Is often kept in check by their associated costs which are also what makes them good indicators
Ghrelin
Is secreted by the empty stomach causing contractions and acting in the brain to induce hunger
What is PsychINFO
It is a computerized database that contains abstracts of articles, chapters, and books reporting psychological research
What makes a good theory?
It is supported by data Is falsifiable: leads to a testable hypothesis It exhibits parsimony: taking of extreme care at arriving at a course of action
What is the main advantage of descriptive/correlational research?
It permits researchers to study variables that would be impossible to manipulate
Regulators of hunger
Leptin and insulin activate and express POMC and inhibit feeding when active Ghrelin activates and express neuropeptide Y and agouti-like protein and promote feeding when active
Homosexual Female brain
Lesbian women brains respond to pheromones resemble those of heterosexual men not heterosexual women
Bisexual
Likes members of either sex
Homosexual
Likes members of the same sex
Intellectual disability and socioeconomics
Link between mild ID and parents socioeconomic status. Factors affecting this would be : Nutrition Parenting quality Schooling Infection
What does descriptive/correlational research look for?
Links or associations
Deviation IQ scores
Locate subjects precisely within the normal distribution, using the standard deviation as the unit of measurement
Females
Look for income, status, and ambition in partners Maximize reproductive success by seeking partners willing to invest material resources in offspring Less interested in uncommitted sex, smaller number of sex partners over lifetime,
What factors predict happiness?
Love and marriage Genetics / personality (Heritability of happiness 0.4-0.5) Work
Lewis Terman
Made the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Schools started to adopt IQ tests for students
David Wechsler
Made the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale that used a scoring scheme based on normal distribution. Test had separate scores for verbal IQ and performance (nonverbal IQ) and full scale IQ
Reaching orgasm
Males tend to reach orgasm more reliably then females
Which sex thinks more about sex?
Males think and are overall more interested in sex than females, and they show a higher desire for a variety of sexual partners
Personality tests
Measure various aspects of personality, including motives, interests, values, and attitudes
Intelligence test
Measures general mental ability
What are the two main categories of psychological tests?
Mental ability and personality tests
Ellen Winner
Moderately gifted children are very different from profoundly gifted children as those who are profoundly gifted are introverted and socially isolated
What factors don't predict happiness?
Money Age Intelligence Attractiveness
Negatively skewed distribution
Most scores pile up at the high end of the scale
Positively skewed dustribution
Most scores pile up at the low end of the scale
Population
Much larger collection of animals or people (from which the sample is drawn) that the researchers want to generalize about
A psychologist monitors a group of children in a nursery school, recording each instance of altruistic behaviour when it occurs. Which research method is the psychologist using?
Naturalistic observation
Types of descriptive / correlational research
Naturalistic observation, case studies, Surveys
What type of research would you use to answer this question: Do troops of baboons display territoriality-that is, so they mark off an area as their own and defend it from intrusion by other baboons?
Naturalistic observation. To answer this question properly you would want to observe baboons in their natural environment, without interference
Sir Francis Galton
Nature vs Nurture but associated with eugenics. Tested sensations which he believed were units of intelligence Reaction time, colour perception etc
Affiliating motive
Need to associate with other and maintain social bonds
Achievement Motive
Need to master difficult challenges, to out perform others, and to meet high standards of excellence
Positive of negative correlation? The correlation between age and visual acuity (among adults)
Negative. As age increases, more people tend to have visual problems and acuity tends to decrease
Positive of negative correlation? The correlation between shyness and the number of friends one has.
Negative. As shyness increases, the size of one's friendship network should decrease. However, research suggests that this inverse association may be weaker than widely believed
Brain and behavioural component
Neural correlates of emotions measure brain activity. They found a baseline array of brain areas active in neutral face processing (fusiform gyrus) but additional areas active in response to non-neutral emotions
Zero Correlation
No correlation between the two variables
Display rules
Norms that regulate the appropriate expression of emotion
Experimenter Bias
Occurs when a researcher's expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained
Random assignment
Occurs when all subjects have an equal chance of being assigned to any group or condition in the study
Orgasm
Occurs when sexual arousal reaches it peak intensity. It discharges in a series of muscular contractions that pulsate through the pelvic area.
Hedonic adaptations
Occurs when the mental scale that people use to judge pleasantness-unpleasantness of their experiences shifts so that their neutral point (or baseline for comparison) changes
Confounding variable
Occurs when two variables are linked together in a way that makes it difficult to sort out their specific effects
Divergent thinking
One tries to expand the range of alternatives by generating many possible solutions
Convergent thinking
One tries to narrow down a list of alternatives to converge on a single correct answer. Inside the box thinking
Why are IQ test not used globally?
Outside the western world: The whole premise is foreign Different definitions of intelligence Emphasis on different mental skills (Practical vs academic)
The Reverse Flynn Effect
Over the past few years the Mean IQ score has gone down a bit (started decline in 1999)
Does brain size determine intelligence?
Overall there is a correlation of 0.33 between brain volume and intelligence
Which study would be most likely influenced by a placebo effect?
Participants learn yoga, and then are asked to report whether their mood improves as a result of doing yoga
Behavioural Component of Emotions
People can accurately and quickly discern emotions from facial expressions
Journal
Periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material, usually in a narrowly defined area of inquiry
Resolution
Physiological levels go back to resting state Lack of sensitivity and excitability in penis post ejaculation
Positive of negative correlation? The correlation between years of education and income
Positive. Studies show that highly educated people tend to earn higher incomes and that people with less education tend to earn lower incomes
Savants
Posses below average IQ but also exhibit some extraordinary or unique abilities Can be congenital or acquired
Assumptions
Premises for which no proof or evidence is offered
Data collection techniques
Procedures for making empirical observations and measurements
Set-point Theory
Proposes that the body monitors fat cell levels to keep them (and weight) fairly stable
Settling-point theory
Proposes that weight tends to drift around the level at which the constellation of factors that determine food consumption and energy expenditure achieves an equilibrium
Test norms
Provide information about where a score on a psychological test ranks in relation to other scores on that test
Conversion Therapy
Psychological technique (shocking/talk therapy) to be trained to get rid of the homosexuality tendencies
Heritability of sexuality
Range of 0.5-0.74
Fluid Intelligence
Reasoning, working memory, information processing
Sexual orientation
Refers to a person's preference for emotional and sexual relationships with individuals of the same sex, the other sex, or either sex
What is reliability and how can it be measured?
Reliability is the measurement consistency of a test. It can be measured by test-retest reliability, which is estimated by comparing subject's scores on 2 administrations of a test
Males
Reproduction involves minimal investment of time, energy and risk Maximize reproductive success by seeking more sexual partners with high reproductive potential More interest in uncommitted sex, greater number of sex partners over lifetime
Emotional disorders
Research has shown that people with emotional disorders like depression or PTSD have excessive amygdala activity as regulated by the prefrontal cortex -> Over reactivity
Biological correlates of intelligence
Research indicates that both white and grey matter in the brain are important in determining intelligence. New research also indicates that gyrification is positively correlated with intelligence
Double-Blind Procedure
Research strategy in which neither subjects nor experimenters know which subjects are in the experimental or control groups
Facial expressions
Research suggests we actually make our own facial expressions to help us process those of others any may even take on those emotions. The group that could not move their face in the study reported experiencing less strong emotions in response to negative video clips. Other studies suggest that certain facial arrangements induce specific emotions
Survey
Researchers use questionnaires or interviews to gather information about specific aspects of participants behaviour
Within-subjects design
Same participants go through all conditions
Plateau
Scrotum retracts, clitoris retracts, BP breathing etc continue to increase
Heterosexual
Seek emotional-sexual relationships with members of the other sex
Physiological component pathway
Sensory information follows a typical route to sensory areas of the brain but also splits off into a quick shortcut to the amygdala Amygdala processing can occur without conscious awareness (processes what is seen so you can react to dangerous things quicker)
Physiological component Brain
Several other areas are also involved in controlling emotions including the prefrontal cortex (controls how the amygdala reacts) , anterior cingulate cortex and brain reward system
Sexual selection
Sexual selection happens when one sec competes for the chance to mate with the more choosy sex (usually the one that does more parenting)
Kinsey's Continuum of Sexual Orientation
Sexuality is not black or white but a spectrum
Orgasm
Sharp increases in heart rate and breathing etc. Spasmodic muscle contractions; male ejaculation Brain activity in males and females are quite different
What factors predict a moderate amount of happiness?
Social activity/interaction Health Religion
Socioeconomic threat
Socioeconomic factors affect IQ test results Being aware of stereotypes can influence both development and test performance due to interference with prefrontal cortex. Working memory becomes occupied with related monitoring/suppression, instead of the test task
Does environmental factors affect IQ?
Some adoption studies say yes because those who were adopted performed better then their siblings who were not adopted
At which step of the research process did researchers create operational definitions for their variables?
Step 1: Formulate a testable hypothesis
Cannon-Bard
Stimulus>Subcortical brain activity > conscious feeling+Autonomic arousal (simultaneously) Thalamus sends info in two directions simultaneously to the cortex and amygdala
James-Lange Theory of emotion
Stimulus>autonomic arousal>conscious feeling
Commonsense theory of emotion
Stimulus>conscious feeling>autonomic arousal
Schachter
Stimulus>experience>appraisal>Conscious feeling Arousal and its interpretation based on cues Element of James-Lange: Arousal is before emotion Element of Cannon-Bard: Different emotions produce the same arousal
Intellectual disability
Subnormal general mental ability IQ lower then 70, with deficiencies in adaptive skills before the age of 18
Intellectual disability
Subnormal general mental ability accompanied by deficiencies in adaptive skills, originating before age 18.
Subject SM
Suffered an accident that damaged both her right and left amygdala and no longer felt fear
What type of research would you use to answer this question: Are people's attitudes about nuclear disarmament related to their social class or education?
Survey. You would distribute a survey to obtain information on subject's social class, education, and attitudes about nuclear disarmament.
What part of the brain is involved in crystallized intelligence?
Temporal lobe
Social desirability bias
Tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself
Response set
Tendency to respond to questions in a particular way that is unrelated to the content of the questions
What are test norms and percentile scores?
Test norms provide information about where a score on a psychological test ranks in relation to other scores on that test A percentile scores indicated the percentage of people who score at or below the score one has obtained
Wechsler and the WAIS
Test was designed for adults and measured: Verbal comprehension Index Working memory index Perceptual reasoning index Processing speed index
At the request of the HiTechnol and computer store chain, Professor Sam develops a test to measure aptitude for selling computers. Two hundred applicants for sales hobs at HiTechnol and stores are asked to take the test on two occasions, a few weeks apart. A correlation of +0.82 is found between applicants's scores on the two administrations of the test. Thus, the test appears to possess reasonable_________
Test-retest reliability
What do correlations tell us?
That there is a relationship between two things, but they do not say A causes B as there may be another variable C that influences the correlation.
Validity
The ability of a test to measure what it was designed to measure
Operational Definition
The actions or operations that will be used to measure or control a variable
Mean
The arithmetic average if the scores in a distribution
Obesity
The condition of being overweight
Content validity
The degree to which the content of a test is representative of the domain it's supposed to cover
Construct validity
The extent to which there is evidence that a test measures a particular hypothetical construct
Reliability
The measurement consistency of a test (or of other kinds of measurement techniques)
Mode
The most frequent score in a distribution
Participants/subjects
The persons or animals whose behaviour is systematically observed in a study
Permises
The reasons that are presented to persuade someone that a conclusion is true or probably true
Differences in emotions across countries
The recognition of emotions is pretty consistent but not quite universal due to differences in display norms
Replication
The repetition of a study to see whether the earlier results are duplicated
When psychologists say that research results are statistically significant, what do they mean?
The results are unlikely to be due to the fluctuations of chance
Standardization
The uniform procedures used in the administration and scoring of a test
Statistics
The use of mathematics to organize, summarize, and interpret numerical data
Dependent variable
The variable that is thought to be affected by manipulation of the independent variable
Thurstone
There are 7 independent factors that influence IQ: Word fluency Verbal comprehension Spatial ability Perceptual speed Numerical ability Inductive reasoning Memory
Is there a singular creative personality profile?
There are some consistent traits
Researchers have found a substantial positive correlation between youngster's self esteem and their academic achievement. What conclusions apply?
There is an association between self esteem and academic achievement. Youngsters who score low in self esteem tend to get low grades, and those who score high in self-esteem tend to get high grades
Creativity
There's more to creative achievement than just creativity. you need to work hard to produce the results
How are IQ scores normalized?
They are normalized, with a given score always representing the same percentile
Evolutionary Theorists view on EMotions
They believe that the evolution of emotions preceded that of thought and identify certain basic/fundamental emotions EX disgust has an adaptive purpose to keep us away from dangerous things
What do experiments look for?
They look for causation
Withdrawal
Those responses in absence of drug
What causes intellectual disability?
Trisomy 21 causes down syndrome Fragile X syndrome
Genetics of hapiness
Two genetic variants of the serotonin transporter. Various effects of these variants have been observed. Researchers found an association between the longer variant and happiness, though there has been trouble replicating it
Inferential statistics
Used to interpret data and draw conclusions
Descriptive statistics
Used to organize and summarize data
How is reliability measured?
Via test-retest reliabilty
Cognitive Component of Emotion
We evaluate our emotions and try to predict them; affective forecasting
Reification
When a hypothetical, abstract concept is given a name and then treated as though it were a concrete, tangible object
Reactivity
When a subject's behaviour is altered by the presence of an observer
Singular cortex
When looking at it with neural imaging you can tell if people are lying more accurately than with a polygraph
Placebo Effect
When participants' expectations lead them to experience some change even though they receive empty, fake, or ineffectual treatment
When does sampling bias occur?
When the group of participants is not representative of the population
Can sight and smell of food affect appetite
When you see or smell food your insulin levels can rise
A researcher found that clients who were randomly assigned to same sex groups participated in group therapy sessions to a greater extent than clients who were randomly assigned to co-ed groups. What is the independent variable in this experiment?
Whether or not the group was co-ed
Creativity and mental illness
Writers artists and composers have higher rates of depression or any other disorder than the general populace
Does IQ predict career success?
Yes but the predictive power is moderate at 0.37, similar to that of grades and parents socioeconomic status
Does being around people influence appetite?
Yes. The amount consumed was highly correlated in females and mixed pairs but not males
How many countries is being gay illegal in ?
about 75 countries
How much of the population is homosexual
about 8 % hard to determine due to prejudices
Thrifty genes
are genes which enable individuals to efficiently collect and process food to deposit fat during periods of food abundance in order to provide for periods of food shortage (feast and famine)
Waltz et al
demonstrated the role of the prefrontal cortex in fluid intelligence
Variability
how much the scores in a data set vary from each other and from the mean
Psychological test
is a standardized measure of a sample of a person's behaviour
Insulin
is produced by the pancreas and is also sensitive to the body's fat stores Decreases appetitie
CCK
is secreted by the intestine and acts on the hypothalamus to decrease hunger/food intake
What does p<0.05 mean?
small probability that finding is random
Compensatory responses
the body's attempt to regain homeostasis in drug users
Median
the score that falls exactly in the centre of a distribution of scores
Polygraphs and emotion
your sympathetic system will engage due to a lie but this is not true as positive and negative emotions both turn the sympathetic system up however you cant tell which one it was
Heritability of BMI
~0.6-0.7
What is a correlation coefficient that indicates the strongest relationship between variables?
0.58
Phases of sex
1. Excitement 2.Plateau 3. Orgasm 4.Resolution
What are the five steps to a scientific investigation?
1. Formulate a testable hypothesis 2. Select the research method and design the study 3. Collect the data 4. Analyze the data and draw conclusions 5. Report the findings
Guilford
150 different unique components of intelligence
Intelligence Quotient IQ
A child's mental age divided by chronological age, multiplied by 100
Independent variable
A condition or event that an experimenter varies in order to see its impact on another variable
Frequency polygon
A line figure used to present data from a frequency distribution
Correlation Coefficient
A numerical index of the degree of relationship between two variables
Correlation coefficient
A numerical index of the degree of relationship between two variables
Experiment
A research method in which the investigator manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether any changes occur in a second variable as a result
Naturalistic observation
A researchers engages in careful observation of behaviour without intervening directly with the research subjects or participants
Glucose
A simple sugar that is an important source of energy
Homeostasis
A state of physiological equilibrium or stability
Normal distribution
A symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that represents the pattern in which many human characteristics are dispersed in the population
Theory
A system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations
Hypothesis
A tentative statement about the relationships between two or more variables
What makes a test standardized?
A test is standardized if all subjects get the same instructions, the same questions, and the same time limits
Refractory Period
A time following orgasm during which males are largely unresponsive to further stimulation
Is IQ stable across one's life?
After the first six years or so, it is fairly stable
Environment factors that influence hunger
Amount of food in front of us: High correlation between the amount served and the amount consumed We seem to focus on units more so than total qualities The more variety of food in front of us the more we consume (think of a buffet vs porridge)
Heritability Ratio
An estimate of the proportion of trait variability in a population that is determined by variations in genetic inheritance
Incentive
An external goal that has the capacity to motivate behaviour
Case study
An in depth investigation of an individual subject
Galvanic Skin Response GSR
An increase in the electrical conductivity of the skin that occurs when sweat glands increase their activity
Standard deviation
An index of the amount of variability in a set of data
Body Mass Index BMI
An individual's weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in meters) sqared
Drive
An internal state of tension that motivates an organism to engage in activities that should reduce this tension
Frequency distribution
An orderly arrangement of scores indicating the frequency of each score or a group of scores
What else effects IQ?
Anxiety can affect IQ test scores (people who get anxious when asked to take a test)
Variables
Any measurable conditions, events, characteristics, or behaviours that are collected or observed in a study
Extraneous variables
Any variables other than the independent variable that see, likely to influence the dependent variable in a specific study
Crystallized
Applying acquired knowledge for problem solving
Negative Correlation
As A increases B decreases Gets closer to -1
Positive Correlation
As A increases B increases as well Gets closer to 1
Cultural diferences in IQ
As time passes the gap between cultures IQ scores gets smaller suggesting that environment plays a role in the previously lower IQ scores of different cultures
Aptitude test
Asses specific types of mental abilities
Physiological Component of Emotions
Autonomic Nervous System: Sympathetic -fight or flight Parasympathetic- Calm down Heart rate lasts longer after negative emotions which could be due to an evolutionary adaptive mechanism Galvanic Skin Response
Why do surveys go wrong?
Because not every one in your sample will fill it out so there can be a sample bias
Why is it wise to be cautious when interpreting test results?
Because tests only measures samples of behaviour and are limited in the way that they test only certain samples. Various factors influence test results
Francis Galton
Believed intelligence is heredity and tested sensations to determine IQ
Importance of the Flynn Effect
Can be used in court to show that someone who was deemed competent back in the past for their criminal actions could now be deemed mentally disabled
Multiple orgasms
Can happen in females but care not happen in males
What type of research would you use to answer this question: Do people who suffer from anxiety disorders share similar early childhood experiences?
Case study. Using a case study approach, you could interview people with anxiety disorders, interview their parents, and examine their school records to look for similarities in childhood experiences. As a second choice, you might have people with anxiety disorders fill out a survey about their child hood experiences
Sample
Collection of subjects selected for observation in an empirical study
Meta-analysis
Combination of the statistical results of many studies of the same question, yielding an estimate of the size and consistency of a variable's effects
What are adaptive skills?
Conceptual: Balancing a checkbook Social: Making friends Practical: Taking care of one's self
When you had a could you rested in bed, took medication, and drank plenty of fluids. Assume you want to know which of those three actions led to the improvement of your symptoms. Which research problem would prevent you from knowing for sure?
Confounding of Variables
Argument
Consists of one or more premises that are used to provide support for a conclusion
Anecdotal evidence
Consists of personal stories about specific incidents and experiences
Control Group
Consists of similar subjects who do not receive the special treatment given to the experimental group
Control Group
Consists of similar subjects who receive some special treatment in regard to the independent variable
Experimental group
Consists of subjects who receive some special treatment in regard to the independent variable
Emotional Intelligence
Consists of the ability to perceive and express emotion, assimilate emotion in thought, understand and reason with emotion, and regulate emotion
Research Methods
Consists of various approaches to the observation, measurement, manipulation, and control of variables in empirical studies
Back at the university, Professor Sam is teaching a course in theories of personality. He decides to use the same midterm exam that he gave last year even though the exam includes questions about theorists that he did not cover or assign reading on this year. There are reasons to doubt the ____________ of Professor Sams midterm exam
Content Validity
What are the 3 types of test validity?
Content Validity Criterion-Related Validity Construct Validity
Factor analysis
Correlations among many variables are analyzed to identify closely related clusters of variables
